NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- A draft policy that will guide Kenya’s
migration management has been completed.

The National
Coordination Mechanism on Migration (NCM), which was launched in
July 2016, said the draft Kenya National Migration Policy is now set
for validation.

Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Kenya
Country Office, Michael Pillinger, said in a statement released in
Nairobi Tuesday that the ongoing assistance to NCM by IOM will also
continue supporting the establishment and strengthening of similar
national platforms and mechanisms for cooperation on migration.

Pillinger said the newly drafted policy will outline a
comprehensive normative framework that will guide migration
management, with the main goal of enhancing socio-economic
development and security in the country, while taking into
consideration the UN-inspired Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Kenya’s Director of Immigration Services Gordon Kihalangwa hailed
the stakeholders’ commitment towards the formulation of the policy,
noting that migration has moved to the top of the national security
and development agendas, not only in the developing countries of the
South, but also of the highly industrialized countries.

"Migration is intricately linked to other important global issues
including poverty and human rights," he told a workshop supported by
IOM that brought together high-level government officials drawn from
various agencies.

NCM is tasked with facilitating inter-agency coordination,
collaboration and information sharing on migration issues at the
national level in Kenya.

The document drafted originally in 2013 by the Immigration
Department covers various migration issues ranging from acquisition
of Kenya citizenship, foreign nationals management, migration
enforcement, trafficking in persons, and refugee movement, labor
migration, migration and health, border management among others.

The latter aspect is vital as the SDGs are now driving policy
planning and implementation across borders and across sectors,
recognizing the interlinkages between migration and development and
the fundamental contributions of migrants in this regard.

The mainstreaming of the SDGs in migration-related functions also
assists Kenya in planning and progressively enhancing migration
management in the country for the purpose of mobilizing additional
resources and maximizing the utilization of available resources by
avoiding duplication and wastage.

The draft policy advocates for enhanced border surveillance,
improved capacity of existing points and enhanced use of modern ICT
tools at all ports of entry.

It will also guide overall rules on immigration and stay in the
country.